Sometimes it’s the basic things in life that reap the most rewards.
The same applies to taking photos. Grasping the fundamentals can emphasize your main strengths, which in turn will grasp the attention of the people that really matter in the decision process – our clients.
Before we highlight the main points when considering what makes a photo “good”, we’d like to make it clear right about our photo submission procedure.
Crucially, we do not charge for photos. This is because we’re not a photographic agency. We have never charged our models for portfolio photos. We even encourage models to approach a professional photographer only if that’s what they’d like to do. It’s not essential. For our purposes, an initial two headshot photos taken with an iPhone or digital camera are more than sufficient – as long as the photos are “good” ones.
Which brings us to the question of what makes a photo “good”.
A “good” photo is one that is clear and accurately represents the person being photographed. When our clients see a photo, they should not second-guess which features shine through. All your photos need to be unambiguous and free from distraction.
And here’s how to do that:
- Portrait – A height : width ratio of 5 : 4 is perfect. Please try to avoid landscape formats.
- Headshots – Unless you’re only dazzling us and our models with your exquisite hands or legs, we require headshots in the first instance. Practice a few times to achieve the optimal distance – we don’t want close-ups of eyes, nor do we need to squint to actually see your modelling features.
- Plain expression – You may feel like grinning (or wincing!), but please resist the urge. A half-smile is fine, and by all means don’t treat your headshot like those insisted upon by the passport office. We like to see fairly neutral expressions – you’ll be able to express yourself in additional photos or on assignments.
- Background – this should be neutral, with nothing in the background to distract the viewer.
- Shadows – Beware of them! They might look innocuous upon first viewing, but they can sneak into almost any photos and don’t complement your headshot.
- Jewellery – please refrain from wearing excessive jewellery. The odd ear piercing is fine, but not jangly necklaces or extravagant earrings, which serve to take the attention away from the most important part – you!
- Headwear – As with the above, hats of any description should not be worn.
- Make-up – We won’t begrudge a little touch here and there, but please leave the full make-up routine to your next night out with your friends.
- Avoid filters – If you’re as confident as any models should be, filters or the use of Photoshop should never be needed. And why would they? We need true likenesses of models, not superimposed and fake images.
Stick to the tips above, and you won’t go far wrong. And remember, we’re only a phone call or email away, so please contact us if you need to discuss anything Models Direct-related.
